Rewriting the Game
by Emkatw1luv
Summary: Lelouch had finally become emperor. Despite his knight Suzaku's hatred of him, he could finally start building his empire. But unknown to the brilliant boy, something dangerous was brewing. Something that will make him realize how at times, even the worst lies are better than the truth. A story about a simple betrayal, a ruined friendship, and then some. No Pairings. No Geass AU.
1. Commencing the Game

_Rewriting the Game_

 _One_ _: Commencing the Game_

 _"The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed."_  
 _― C.G. Jung_

* * *

Lelouch held a hand out to Suzaku, the day of the latter's private knighting. Suzaku hardly received the honor like a traditional knight. He stood before Lelouch, his eyes dispassionate, hands out ready to take his sword back. Lelouch ignored him, continued to hold the sword, and stared at Suzaku. He couldn't read the knights' eyes. If there were any happiness left in them, it was long gone before Lelouch could ever catch it. Lelouch waited, although he didn't know what he was waiting for. A reprimand for his actions? An apology? Simply an explanation for how their friendship, as twisted yet beautiful it was?

There was a tense silence between the two, before Lelouch sighed and gave the sword back. Suzaku kept staring at Lelouch, sheathing the sword, but not saying a word. After all, there wasn't much he could say at this point. They certainly weren't best friends anymore. They can't even be considered just friends. They were like strangers, and the knighting ceremony just a formality between two people. There was more silence before Suzaku stepped back, and gave him a stiff bow. Lelouch nodded back, before leaving the room without looking back. He wasn't sure why he felt so sad. And how after all the time he and Suzaku had spent together, their friendship had crumbled to dust.

Lelouch stepped through the halls of his palace, alone. There was a lot of work to be done, but he needed a break from his plans. He'd just knighted his friend. His sister's knight. The one he'd killed. How ironic.

Lelouch snorted at the cruelty of it all. Both of them were barely adults. Yet today, they've just became the two most powerful people in the world. A failed prince and a lowly Number. How they've managed to climb up this high was a mystery. And Lelouch would have to reap the benefits of whatever came out of it.

Lelouch sighed. Alright, then.

He'll reap the benefits of this situation as well.

* * *

Suzaku stared dispassionately at the wall by Lelouch. He still hadn't answered the emperor's question, and he had no intention of doing so. Lelouch was trying to get some sort of peace, some sort of weird partnership, between them. Suzaku wasn't going to let that happen.

"Suzaku." Suzaku reluctantly looked from the wall to Lelouch's face.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" His answer was practically dripping with sarcasm. Lelouch's eyes narrowed with displeasure. Suzaku let himself feel satisfied over the tiny victory.

"What are your thoughts in this matter?" Lelouch repeated, voice cold. Ah. So he's actually annoyed with Suzaku now. Taking a short breath, Suzaku slowly reigned himself back into a obedient knight.

"I think it's a horrible idea," He deadpanned, "Your low ratings will get even lower. You're going to loose support from the few nobles that are still with you." There. He'd said it. Direct opposition. Lelouch is going to find it really hard to find peace now.

Lelouch closed his eyes and let an audible breath out. "Do you think I care about ratings?" He sounded irritated, and Suzaku winced internally. Of course he didn't. He's already dropped so low, not even Charles had done this badly. "No, but you should care about your support. I've talked with Gino-"

"And Lord Weinberg's support is so important to me because?" Lelouch interrupted, his eyes boring into Suzaku. Under an untrained person, they would probably grovel and beg for mercy. In Suzaku's case, he just returned it with a slight glare.

"Your support is the only way you can actually get all the people that wanted Schneizel to follow you. If the nobles do, then the regular people will be more inclined to as well."

"I don't give a shit about that," Lelouch snapped. He was swearing, so that meant he wanted the matter dropped entirely. Alright, time for Suzaku's trump card.

"Nunnally wouldn't like it," He blurted out. As soon as he said it, he felt a pang of regret as Lelouch immediately broke eye contact and pressed his lips together. Lelouch knew he was right, or course. Nunnally had mailed her brother hundreds of letters, begging him to stop his cruelty. But he continued to trap her in Japan, making sure she stayed safe and out of his business.

Suzaku knew that he was going to get reprimanded. What was it going to be this time? Be with Llyod in his endeavors again? Translate every Japanese text in the library for the fourth time? He's been ordered to clean the soldier's barracks so much, it was hardly a punishment. In fact, Suzaku liked hanging out with the other officers off duty, even if they were wary of him. It was better than staying with Lelouch.

Instead, Lelouch simply let out a long sigh. "She wouldn't, would she?" He asked softly. Suzaku blinked in surprise. Lelouch still wasn't looking at Suzaku, so the knight had no idea if he was actually asking for an answer. He decided to remain silent, earning himself a glare. Suzaku resisted glaring back, and let himself lean against the wall, content with waiting Lelouch's anger out.

There was silence.

Finally, Lelouch gave a quiet, "Just do it, Kururugi." His last name. So it was a hard, nonnegotiable order. Suzaku clenched his teeth, trying not to think about what he was about to do. He gave a curt bow from his waist, ignoring the standard kneel, and let himself out.

* * *

Lelouch fell tiredly against his bed. "Hello, witch." He greeted C.C., who was lounging in a chair and munching on pizza.

"Did you get in a fight with Suzaku again? That poor boy. He can't even say that he hates you. It's so obvious, it's hilarious," C.C. said with a laugh, picking up another slice of pizza.

"Shut it." Lelouch wasn't in the mood to discuss Suzaku. He didn't want to talk about how he'd almost snapped when Suzaku mentioned Nunnally.

"Oh don't talk to the reason why you won like that, boy emperor," C.C. teased, a smirk on her face, like she knew everything about Lelouch's troubles and thought they were hilarious.

"I didn't just win with you." Lelouch said tiredly. He didn't want to argue about this again.

"I'm a major reason, though." C.C. reminded him, taking a bite of her pizza.

"The only thing you did-"

"Was give you crucial information? Or yes, so unimportant." She lamented, looking at his splayed body.

"I would've figured it out, and besides, you were given that information."

"Ah yes, by being tortured and forced to have stuff put in my brain is totally just that. You obviously didn't need me or anything. Totally." Her voice was so sarcastic, Lelouch held back a groan. She sounded so much like Suzaku with that tone. As if she knew what he was thinking about, her smirk widened and she promptly got off the chair and sat next to him.

"Having troubles about your knight?" Her voice was light, but Lelouch caught a hint of smugness in her tone. He snorted and turned over on the bed.

"Doesn't matter. He just needs to follow orders." He said into his pillows.

"You're going to break the relationship off entirely then?"

Lelouch turned to glare at the girl. "We never had a 'relationship' besides mutual hate, C.C."

"So you're going to throw away your childhood?"

Lelocuh shrugged, "He already has. I shouldn't even try to fix it."

* * *

Suzaku walked briskly down the corridor, with a bored Anya trailing after him, looking angrily around for Gino. The other knight was usually always at the training center, but today he had disappeared off to god knows where. Suzaku resisted the urge to scream. If he was even a tiny bit sloppy with this mission, Lelouch would have more of a reason to make his life miserable.

Finally, he caught up with the knight when he crashed into the kitchens, scaring several servants away with his furious yell for the knight. Gino, for the nerve of that guy, was chatting with a chef. His loud laugh stopped when Suzaku practically wrenched him away from his conversation. Gino's cry of protest was cut off when he saw the flash of Anya's camera and the scowling Suzaku.

"Hey, Suzaku! What's happening? Don't tell me Lelouch-"

"The mission." Suzaku interjected hotly. He was so behind schedule, Lelouch was going to have his head cut off when this was all done. Dammit, he was supposed to be an efficient knight, despite how much he hated his job.

Gino's mouth dropped open. Then he smacked a hand over this forehead. "Shit! I forgot, sorry, sorry! Here, we can go now!"

"I already have the Triston on standby. Hurry up." He usually wasn't this cold to Gino, but Suzaku was pissed. Gino ran off to change, and Suzaku and Anya went to the knightmare hangers.

He let out a long sigh as they walked, and was surprised to hear Anya let out a low chuckle. She's been more responsive after Marianne's death, and he'd hoped the surgery to heal the various tests Lelouch's mother did on the poor girl helped her memory. He snorted softly. Of course the son would be just as cruel as the mother. And to think he used to believe she was a great person.

"Anya, I'll send the coordinates over, try to keep everything to me, alright? Make sure you don't get too caught up on the job. You can tell Gino that too, I just don't really want to talk to him now."

Anya nodded, but glanced over her shoulder and snapped a picture. Suzaku turned and saw the Knight of Three running while pulling his jacket on, his left boot dangling off his foot.

"I'm backing you up regardless." Gino called from the hallway. "Don't worry! I know you hate me but I'm really sorry!"

Suzaku sighed. "It's fine, just don't me more late. And put your boot on properly."

"Right-o Captain!"

* * *

Kallen pulled her arm out of the broken Sutherland, silently wishing she had brought her Guren. But Xiangle was insistent that she can't "expose herself" and she had to be held back from kicking him. Alas.

She pulled her hood over her face to cover her red hair, quickly jumped down from the rubble, and began searching bodies for a gun. She'd lost hers when her piece-of-shit Sutherland was blown up. Damn Lelouch. Of course they stood no chance against three knights of the Empire. Their little hideout in India wasn't going to last very long. Thankfully, Lelouch hadn't discovered their main base, but it was so fucking annoying having every single fort destroyed every time they tried to advance towards Britannia. She knew this tactic wasn't working.

The Black Knights haven't been the same ever since Lelouch left and became their enemy. Their half-baked attempts at rebellion were always crushed before they even started. Lelouch's overwhelming power was being burned into everyone's minds until most had deserted the rebels. The only reason why they were surviving in the first place was because of-

A boom distracted Kallen of her thoughts, and she hid behind a piece of damaged Knightmare. She felt a spray of blood land on her broken arm and hissed. Everyone was being slaughtered under Suzaku and his forces. He'd only brought a fraction of the rebel's forces, but the Black Knight's crumbled beneath the Lancelot's powers. She flipped another person, but only found a sad knife. They were loosing so much supplies. Damn! If only she had the Guren-

A tell-tale click of a gun made her freeze, and she quickly hid the knife under the sleeve of her good arm.

"Turn around. Slowly." A cold voice told her. She held her hands up, making sure her knife slide into her sleeve, and turned slowly.

It was Gino. Kallen almost gasped. She opened her mouth, but Gino's grim expression stopped her. Then it occurred to Kallen that Gino probably couldn't recognize her. She was wearing a mask, and her hood had covered all of her hair. Perhaps she could get out of the situation without him knowing who she was.

"Take your mask off." Kallen slowly inched her hand up to her face, before flickering the knife to her hand and slashing forward. Immediately, Gino sent off a shot. It hit her right in the thigh, and she crumpled. Dammit. Dammit! She'd forgotten how well trained the knights of the empire were. The training the rebels received lacked so much. She'd softened against lesser opponents.

She got onto her good leg, and cut towards Gino's advancing form, but was promptly grabbed and had her mask tugged off in one swift move. Gino's eyes widened with surprise. "You're...Karen?" He asked. Of course he used her Britannian name.

"Kallen," She spat. Then she quickly realized her mistake. She shouldn't have corrected him.

"I'm going to have to take you," He explained with furrowed eyebrows, when he pulled out some rope. "Does it hurt?" He asked after trying her hands behind her back. Her broken arm strained painfully against the bindings.

Kallen almost laughed at his fake sympathy. "Of course it does, you Britannian scum." He frowned at that, and Kallen expected some sort of blow, but it never came. Instead, she heard footsteps coming towards them, and Gino stiffening to attention.

There was only one person here right now that outranked Gino.

"Hello, Kallen," The man in front of her greeted in Japanese. "It's been a while."

Suzaku.

* * *

Gino fidgeted with his hands as they flew back to Pendragon. He knew his job and what he had to do, but he'd always hated these type of missions. The rebels always camped within a Number's town, so when they went to destroy it, they'd have to plow the whole town down. He forced himself to forget. He was stuck in a car since he had damaged the Triston's right wing and was forced to dismount. He guessed it was good he did, since he'd found Kallen. But still. Anya chose to ride with him, and she'd tried to comfort him. But he knew he'd failed this mission.

Even though it was a success, Lelouch wanted clean, glorious victories, not half-broken knightmare that are pathetically dragged behind a car-type victories. But Suzaku was going to be the one at the end of Lelouch's anger. He pressed his lips together and sighed. Suzaku had to bear with so much shit because of him during this mission. They were already behind schedule. And now?

Gino wanted to patch the relationship between Suzaku and the emperor, not make it worse. Anya, as if sensing his distress, put a hand on his shoulder.

"Kallen is important. It's good that you found her." Of course he knew. She was a key player in the rebel forces, and was a classmate of Lelouchs, (and his classmate, at one point). Her capture was good for Lelouch. But he didn't know if killing all those people and getting Suzaku into trouble was worth it.

"Don't think about those things, it's better to just move on. You just followed orders." Anya reminded him softly. He looked down at the girl who was already typing today's bloody history down. Lelouch's orders to help fix her had brought so much life back into her. He guessed that was a good thing too. No, it was a great thing the emperor finally did.

He sat back on against his seat, and closed his eyes. Whatever's happening, he just hoped everything was going to be alright in the end, and that his friend's diary will finally be filled with happier times.

* * *

Suzaku reluctantly decided to kneel before Lelouch. Then again, he was being watched by the Knight of Rounds and hundreds of Lelouch's forces, so he really didn't have a choice. Nevertheless, the gesture of fealty and obedience left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Sir Kururugi," Lelouch addressed, head leaned against his hand. His eyes scanned coolly over the room, making several in the crowd flinch. "I take your mission was a success?"

Of course it was. It will never not be a success, because Lelouch was just so goddamn good. "Yes, Your Majesty," He answered, carefully letting the submissive knight tone bleed into his voice and his teeth from clenching.

"Can you explain why you were a half hour late from planned, and why Lord Weinburg's knightmare looks like a mess then?" Lelouch's voice was almost mocking, and Suzaku flinched slightly. Lelouch was choosing to publicly call him out. Ah. This was probably punishment from earlier. He knew he shouldn't have even mentioned Nunnally.

"It was...due to my incompetence, Your Majesty." This time, he couldn't let the clench in his teeth go.

"I see." Lelouch was practically smirking as he said that, looking down at Suzaku was such thinly veiled satisfaction, Suzaku held back from actually glaring.

"Was it due to your incompetence that Lord Weinburg was the one who found the prisoner, and not you, as well?" Lelouch pressed. The whole room descended into a flurry of whispers, but quickly quieted down after Lelouch's glance towards them.

Suzaku closed his eyes, letting his bowed figure hide his displease. "Yes, Your Majesty," He answered after a pause.

"I'm glad we got that settled." Lelouch leaned back against his throne, lifting his head and peered down at the crowd. "Dismissed." He said calmly to the crowd, and everyone scrabbled to get out of the room. Suzaku didn't miss the whispers about him that flew around the room, though. And it was obvious Lelouch wouldn't either.

Suzaku stayed on his knees, waiting for the order to be dismissed as well. It never came. Suzaku looked up at Lelouch and scowled. Lelouch actually had the atrocity to laugh at his discomfort. "You didn't have to lie, Suzaku," Lelouch said, head going back against his hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Suzaku snapped.

"I heard from Lord Weinberg, that it was, how did he phrase it? 'None of Suzaku's fault and all mine?' and something about a boot." Lelouch explained, letting his tone go back to mocking. Suzaku sat back onto his knees, and looked questioningly at Gino. The other knight flushed.

"So now I don't know who to trust," Lelouch said, "Which one of my knights are lying, I wonder?"

Suzaku really wanted to punch him. In fact, he was barely holding back. One more second of looking at Lelouch's face and he was really going to loose it.

"You already know, you asshole," He said icily, fists clenching at his sides.

"And yet I don't. Would you care to tell me?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "You're acting quite like a child, Suzaku. At this point, Lord Weinberg would make a better Knight of Zero."

Alright. That was it. Even though he knew it was a taunt and he knew he shouldn't react, he still stood straight up, fuming.

"Dismiss the other people," He snapped.

"Don't get so-"

"Do it. Now, " Suzaku snarled.

Lelouch examined him for a while, before lifting a single hand and flicked it once, a silent dismissal. The Knights of Round rushed out the room, with Gino hesitating for a moment, then leaving with a quick apologetic glance at Suzaku.

They were finally alone.

Suzaku immediately stepped up to the podium, and grabbed Lelouch by his collar. Lelouch's crown fell off with a clang as the jewels on the hat hit the ground.

"You insufferable asshole, you fucking shitty son of a bitch-" He started, furious that he couldn't actually hurt his emperor. Lelouch simply glanced at him, violet eyes bearing deep into emerald ones. Lelouch's calm only aggravated Suzaku more, and he shook the emperor.

"Do you even know what you're doing? To your reputation? To your people?" Suzaku growled, "Goddammit, Lelouch!" Suzaku shook Lelouch again, but the emperor didn't react. Lelouch finally sighed, and Suzaku let go of the other boy's shirt. He stood there waiting for an answer. Lelouch smirked, and looked at Suzaku's irritated expression.

"You did well, Suzaku," Lelouch said, letting warmth into his voice for the first time since he'd knighted the other. Suzaku just frowned deeper at Lelouch's double meaning.

"I am your Knight of Zero. No one else," Suzaku snapped out. He gave Lelouch a quick bow, and dismissed himself.

* * *

 _Notes:_

 _I don't know if this will be multi-chapter, even though it's set up as one. This was really just a piece exploring relationships that got a little too big. I really wanted to explore the relationship between Lelouch and Suzaku if they actually never "made up" through the requiem. It's so dialogue heavy because I wanted to convey how Lelouch and Suzaku's words to each other were so cold, like strangers, but they also knew each other the best out of everyone. They interact differently with other people (Suzaku is more friendly to Gino and Anya, Lelouch shows more of himself with C.C.). And it's just so sad that their relationship turned south so fast._

 _Also, Suzaku gets less analytical when he's upset (compare his first POV with Lelouch and the ending). Just a thought to point out because I really loved writing angry Suzaku. He's usually so physical but he couldn't do anything to Lelouch. Poor kid._

 _The ending was so confusing to me as well, lol. It seemed to me that despite all the hate these two had for each other, they still stuck together and was able to get things done so efficiently, so I guess that's my explanation for it...? If this is the first chapter of many, I'll probably dwell deeper into their twisted relationship._

 _Honestly these two exhaust me._

 _Constructive criticism or just reviews are welcomed. Thank you for reading._

 _Also, to clear up confusion: this is Non-Geass. C.C. is implanted with government secrets by V.V. Marianne, and Charles; she helped Lelouch win against Schneizel. Gino and Anya joined up with Suzaku and continued being Knights because I can't bear to part with them._


	2. Rewriting the Game

_Two : Rewriting the Game_

 _"Et tu, Brute?" -William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar_

* * *

Kallen bit through her gag, glaring daggers at Gino, who was looking crestfallen. The Knight of Six sat with him and showed him something on her diary. He just ignored her and slumped deeper into himself. Yeah, serves him right. Damn Britannian, if she wasn't trapped in this idiotic glass prison, she would be kicking his face in so hard he'd be ugly forever.

There was a creek of a door, and both Gino and Anya scrambled to stand at attention. It was probably Suzaku. Fuck, she couldn't even turn to look at the bastard since she was strapped to a stupid chair. There were slow footsteps, and Gino and Anya both stiffened when Suzaku stepped closer. They kept their eyes downcast, which was odd. The times Suzaku was in here, they usually relaxed beforehand. Kallen strained against her bindings. These fuckers. Even though her arm had healed, it still hurt to be tied to a chair.

The footsteps came closer, and paused just before Gino and Anya. The figure's back was turned, but it was obvious this person wasn't Suzaku. So who? Kallen had a sinking feeling as she realized who else it might be. Oh fuck.

"Your Majesty," Gino greeted, "You finally came." Kallen bit her lip from actually swearing out loud. Oh shit. Oh shit. Kallen was screwed. She's so dead.

Lelouch slowly turned, taking his hood off and handing Gino it without even greeting his knight back.

"Hello, Kallen," Lelouch said with his signature smirk, "You look..." He paused when he gave her a one-over. Since her clothes were ruined when she was captured, she was given a dress to wear. A fucking shitty bright-yellow dress. It was humiliating, but Lelouch seemed to find it funny. Kallen glared as hard as she could at his expression. "Cute," He finished. The fucking creep. Kallen could feel the hairs on her arm rise under his stare. She spat at him. Lelouch just laughed, and sat gently down on the chair Anya pushed over to face Kallen. The two knights then flanked the emperor's either side, making him seem even more intimidating. She refused to bend under his gaze.

His smirk widened as he asked, "How are you?" She glowered as she bit into the gag, refusing to muffle her answer. In fact, she wasn't going to answer a damn thing he asked. Lelouch gestured at Gino, who stepped forward and tugged her gag off, and she set off a spew of curses at both Lelouch and Britannia, before Gino silenced her with a hand pressed into her throat. She immediately thrashed against the hand, but Gino pressed until she couldn't get air.

"Sorry," He muttered when she calmed down enough to stop struggling. She just hissed at him when he finally took his fingers off.

Lelouch watched the exchange with amusement, and Kallen wanted to sock him in the face. "You fucking traitor," She ground out. "You promised to free Japan and you do this?"

Gino shifted, but Lelouch halted him with a hand. "Is that what you think?" Lelouch asked, tilting his head and his eyes bore into Kallen. Kallen just snarled. Lelouch laughed. "You probably know why you're here, Kallen," Lelouch said conversationally.

"No, I really don't. Would you care to tell me?" Kallen sassed back, not wanting to undergo this interrogation. Lelouch let out a soft sigh, and he looked at Kallen like she was a helpless animal.

"Information on the Black Knights, Kallen. I thought you were bright enough to figure that out." Kallen bristled against the insult. How did Lelouch always seem to have the upper hand in situations?

"Like hell I'll tell you. You piece of sh-" She was cut off when Gino's hand pressed against her throat again. She glared at him until he finally relented.

"Fucking hell, Gino," She spat. Gino gave her an apologetic look, and she spat in his face. There was a scramble as Kallen tried to tip her chair over and Gino trying to stop her.

"Enough. Sir Weinberg, Dame Alstriem, go fetch Sir Kururugi and Margrave Gottwald," Lelouch interrupted as he looked even more amused with her antics. Kallen's stomach sank. Suzaku wasn't afraid of hitting hard. If Lelouch wanted Suzaku to torture her, she would probably bend one way or another.

* * *

Suzaku walked to the chamber trying to contain the bile rising in his throat. He hated interrogations, much less being an active part of it. When Gino and Anya had stopped him from training, their grim expressions was all he needed to know that Lelouch was off interrogating Kallen. He'd never actually asked Kallen about anything, just sat with her and listened to her continuous insults she aimed at him. _Are you even Japanese? How could you follow him?_ Honestly, Suzaku didn't really know either. Was because he just couldn't let go of their seven years of friendship? How Lelouch had saved him from being court martial-ed all those years ago? How even despite his cruelty, Lelouch had actually been kind to Nunnally? And to Euph-He cut his thought off before he could remind himself of her. Nevertheless, it wasn't like he could go against the emperor or anything. Lelouch was too damn smart for that.

He was also too damn cruel to just let Suzaku go.

He met up with the Margrave Gottwald halfway there, trying to ignore the glares the other man was sending his way. After Gottwald had gotten back from his mission in Area 2, he'd tried to stay far away from Suzaku. Which was fine with Suzaku, but he was trying to make a better impression on the man. He didn't want the Margrave to snap his neck for some off hand insult he was going to eventually say to Lelouch.

He pushed the doors of the chamber open, and was met with Lelouch's gaze staring right at him. He reminded himself to stay calm, stay servile, particularly since he was in front of Gottwald. He walked around the glass of Kallen's prison, and fell into a stiff kneel, the Margrave following suit next to him. Suzaku noticed how Jeremiah tried to stay a little away from him and he held back a snort.

"Suzaku, Jeremiah," Lelouch greeted them calmly, and Suzaku noticed how he was pointedly not looking at Kallen.

"Your Majesty," Jeremiah practically shouted. Suzaku repeated him dryly, earning a glare from Jeremiah. He was tried of this forced formality between the emperor and him, but he couldn't just start yelling at Lelouch, especially not in front of Jeremiah.

"I need you two to assist me with Miss Kallen here." The order was clear, and Suzaku grimaced at what Lelouch was implying. Of course Lelouch didn't want Gino to do this. The other knight would hesitate too much.

"Right," Suzaku answered, careful to keep his voice neutral. At Lelouch's gesture, he stepped up to Kallen, who looked at him with obvious hatred. He bit back a sigh and stood behind her, facing Lelouch. The emperor clapped suddenly, making both Kallen and Suzaku jump.

"Alright, Miss Kallen, about the information?" Lelouch asked through a smile. Jeremiah took his place behind his emperor, glaring at both Kallen and Suzaku. Suzkau winced internally. In the terms of interrogations, Jeremiah was a better candidate, so why was Lelouch asking Suzaku to do this?

"Just fucking torture me or something, I'm not spitting anything up," Kallen growled back. Suzaku sighed and raised a hand, but Lelouch stopped him with a look. Suzaku gave Lelouch a confused glance. What was he trying to do then? If Lelouch didn't want him to hurt Kallen, then why is he here? He'd rather be training.

"Kallen," Lelouch voice got cold, and Suzaku had to hold back the shudder that ran through him. Lelouch's eyes were so devoid of emotion, even Suzaku couldn't tell what the emperor was thinking. "Do you know about the experiments my mother did on prisoners?"

Suzaku almost gasped. No, there was no way Lelouch was thinking about-

"Marianne vi Britannia, with my father and uncle forced hundreds of people through a process where they injected government information into them, and practically left them brain dead in order to create little dolls they could control." Suzaku's hands tightened. No. No. Lelouch couldn't. He was so insistent on helping C.C. and Anya, so there was no way-

"Do you think they only injected information? Of course they forced information out of others as well," Lelouch continued, his eyes unblinking, forcing his gaze into Kallen's. Suzaku sneaked a glance down at the girl, and she had turned completely pale.

"I was her beloved son. Do you think I don't know her tactics?" Lelouch asked, smirking a little. Kallen didn't respond, and Suzaku had to catch her when she almost slumped over.

"Lelouch," Suzaku protested softly. "You can't." Jeremiah gasped at his protest, before quickly quieted down when Lelouch sent him a glance.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "Do you want to repeat that, Knight of Zero?" Suzaku winced. Lelouch had used his formal title, something he rarely did. But Suzaku also wasn't going to just bow down to whatever shit Lelouch wanted to do.

"I said you can't Lelouch," Suzaku said, louder this time. Lelouch's eyes flashed with anger. So he hadn't been prepared for Suzaku's little outburst.

Lelouch sent a full out glare at Suzaku, before crossing his legs and lifting his head. That was the stance Lelouch always took when he wanted to emphasize his status.

"Kururugi." It was a cold, harsh reminder of Suzaku's position. There was silence as the emperor and his knight faced each other off. Eventually, Suzaku relents. He took a deep breath, then put a hand on Kallen's shoulder. Instead of spitting at him like he'd thought she would, she merely flinches. He bends down until his mouth is near her ear.

"Kallen. I am a Knight of the Empire. I won't hesitate if my emperor orders me to." That was a lie, but Kallen didn't need to know. Kallen seemed to snap out of her shock, and she turned to spit in his face. He quickly follows by putting her in a headlock.

"Start talking, or we're just going have to keep pushing. Don't make yourself the next doll."

* * *

Nunnally watched as people scrambled around the student council room. She didn't know what was going on. She'd grabbed Milly as she tried to get some information, but the older girl just gently pushed her back and told her to rest. Nunnally didn't need to rest. She needed to know what was going on.

After she'd been brushed off by Rivalz as well, she finally snapped.

"Alright, would someone at least give me a status update?" Her tone came out sharper then she'd intended, but it got people's attention. Milly blinked at her from across the room, then hurried over.

"Ah, right, Nunnally. There's been...complications."

"Where is she?" Nunnally asked dryly, frowning at Milly's response.

"We haven't been able to locate her yet, but we're working on it."

"It's already been a month, Milly. Can't you use your reporter excuse to find her?" Nunnally immediately snapped her mouth shut when she saw Milly's hurt expression. "Oh Milly, I'm sorry. I was just worried and I just took it out on you. I'm sorry." Nunnally apologized, taking her friends hand in hers. Milly gave her a soft smile.

"Don't worry! Here, I'll help you to the meeting. We can get there early." Milly took the handles of the wheelchair, and set off towards the gymnasium. As they went, Nunnally looked up at Milly's tight expression. She hadn't thought about how much stress the others were under because of the situation. Mentally kicking herself, Nunnally vowed to pay more attention to her friends and make sure they were alright.

They entered the gym, and Nunnally was surprised to see Todoh, Kaguya, and Xiangke already there. They got up when they saw her, but she waved them back down. Milly rolled her to her spot at the head of the table, and smiled. "Milly and I are at least an hour ahead of schedule. You guys didn't have to come so early!"

Xiangke smiled back, "Don't worry, Princess. We just wanted to have things started as quickly as possible."

Nunnally nodded, "Of course."

Milly helped Nunnally with her papers, then went to sit at her spot at the table. Tamaki, Rivalz, Nina, and Diethard all filtered in after Nunnally had settled down. After looking around, Nunnally felt a pang of sadness when she saw Kallen's vacant seat. She took a moment to collect herself, before launching into the meeting.

"Alright everyone. Has anyone heard anything at all? I understand the bodies were hard to recognize, but Kaguya was telling me about how you've found her mask? Was there any bodies at all around there that would seem like hers? We only have two hours before Sayoko comes back so please make haste."

Xiangke spoke up first, "We've identified most of the bodies, but none of them were Kallen's. Unfortunately, we've found Ohgi and Rakashata's bodies. So even though Kallen couldn't bring them back, at least we know they haven't been captured."

There was a brief silence to mourn, and Nunnally fought the tears welling up. She'd failed them. Again. But she needed to continue. She couldn't let Kallen become the next victim in all this. Nunnally frowned and said, "And yet at this point, Kallen seems to have fallen into Emperor Lelouch's hands, no?" She refrained from calling Lelouch a familiar term. It didn't sit right to her calling him her brother even though her letters still addresses him as such.

Xiangke fell silent at that.

Nunnally continued, "And it seems like Emperor Lelouch prevented Kallen from completing her mission of bringing Ohgi and Rakshata back safely. Now, we have no way to fix or upgrade our knightmares without Rakshata and we've lost an invaluable leader, Ohgi. We need to be more careful with how information is spread. We still don't know how Emperor Lelouch is getting our locations so easily. Being inside other towns isn't stopping him from attacking us. I don't know why we're continuing that tactic; it's clearly not working.

"It's already been a month. A whole month, and I don't know how long Kallen can last. You already know the extent of Emperor Lelouch's cruelty. Don't think he wouldn't hurt her. Right now we should be less focused on if she's one of those dead bodies, but on rescuing her from my broth-from Emperor Lelouch's hands!"

There was silence after Nunnally's declaration. Milly and Rivalz were staring at Nunnally with shock, and Nunnally almost ducked under their stare. Instead, she forced herself to sit up straighter, and challenged the group with a stare of her own.

Kaguya finally sighed, "Sometimes I forget you are royalty, Nunnally."

Nunnally turned to face her, frowning. With Emperor Lelouch, no one would have dared challenged his position, even when he was just a young prince. "I am royalty, Kaguya," She reminded her friend, "And I want this group to succeed among all the other rebellions that have failed. Right now, we can't be wasting time searching bodies, we need to act. I can write to Emperor Lelouch-"

"About what?" Milly interrupted. "Unfortunately, you can't just go up and ask if he has Kallen or not. I think you should just send more letters about getting him to stop, and you should also be getting some rest. "

Nunnally held back a sigh. She was tired of being treated like a fragile girl. Despite her looks, she was the sister to the Demon Emperor. She just wished she had the wits to go against him. "I can sway him. I might causally mention Kallen or something...any thoughts?"

Even with the resolve to take charge, Nunnally wasn't going to be like Lelouch. She would take people's insight into account. She'll lead with her people's ideas, not just with whatever she wanted. If she was to set the people free from Lelouch's rule, she needed all of their opinions. Sitting back against her chair, she thought about the order she'd given Kallen: Don't you dare get hurt.

She hoped Kallen followed it.

* * *

Lelouch staggered back from Kallen's confession. "Nunn...ally?" He whispered as he slumped back into his chair. He pushed Jeremiah off when the Margrave tried to support him. No. That's impossible. He looked up at Suzaku's equally shocked expression as the knight let go of Kallen.

Nunnally wouldn't. Yes, she'd protested against his actions multiple times, but she'd never actively go against him.

"Lelouch," Suzaku called to him after he'd tied Kallen back to her chair. His knight approached him gingerly, his eyes narrowed in displeasure from being near. "You should leave. Get some rest."

Lelouch almost didn't hear him. Suzaku tsked, grabbed the edge of his shirt sleeve like he didn't want to touch him, and pulled him roughly to his feet. "Think things over. Don't you fucking stop because of something like this." His knight was immediately pulled off by Jeremiah, who was practically snarling at Suzaku.

Lelouch blinked and Suzaku's scowling face and Jeremiah's worried one came into focus. He immediately snapped back into his Emperor persona. He nodded his dismissal of Jeremiah, and sending a glare to Suzaku, Lelouch walked swiftly out of the chamber. He needed time to think. Lelouch ignored the impending headache and slammed his office door open. The witch stood there smirking. His headache was definitely coming. Dammit.

"What's new?" C.C. asked, leaning against his desk. She looked at him for a while. "You look exhausted. Did Kallen admit to anything?"

Lelouch just glared, before sitting down at his desk, and letting his head fall back against the seat. C.C. waited patiently, looking actually concerned over Lelouch's behavior. Well, he wasn't really acting like himself right now. After a long pause Lelouch finally relented, "She said something about Nunnally."

C.C. raised an eyebrow, "Is she alright?"

He'd hoped so. If the rebels forced her to help them-

No, that wasn't right either. Nunnally would've told him if she was being played by the Black Knights. She obviously had the upper hand if they ever tried to forcefully get her to join. So was she helping them out of her own accord? Nunnally had promised she'd stay with him. Was she lying? She wouldn't lie to him, would she? Lelouch sighed as he realized he'd grown apart from his little sister. He'd used to know everything about her, but now? He can't even be sure she wouldn't betray him.

Lelouch grit his teeth and phoned Sayoko.

* * *

Sayoko jumped when she heard her cell phone ring. It only ever responded to Lelouch's calls, so she was on guard immediately. She swerved off the road, ignored the various honks sent her way, and opened her phone in one smooth motion.

"Yes, Master Lelouch?" She kept her voice calm, but was immediately thinking about Nunnally. The viceroy was only dropping by Ashford for a quick get-together with Milly. She'd refused her guards, but Milly had reassured Sayoko about their security. Was it not enough? Was the princess alright? Sayoko held back her questions as she waited for Lelouch to speak.

There was only a silence, and Sayoko's heart sped up. What if Lelouch had gotten hurt and this was someone else calling her?

"Master Lelouch?" She tried again, adding slight steel to her tone. More silence. She was about to try once more, but she heard him sigh.

"Yes, I'm here, Sayoko," He replied. Sayoko let out a breath of relief. Thank goodness.

"What do you need, sir?" She still addressed Lelouch as she did when he was an Ashford student. Lelouch had insisted, and Sayoko secretly liked the familiarity of it.

"Where's Nunnally?" He asked, and Sayoko smiled from the question. Of course, he was probably just worried about his sister. Typical of him.

"She's with Miss Milly at Ashford Academy, sir. Miss Milly came back from reporting in Greenla-I apologize-Area 4, and Nunnally wanted to see her immediately. I know Miss Milly's security is top notch, so please don't worry."

There was more silence, and Sayoko let him think. She was sure she'd assured him now.

"No, I..." Lelouch trailed off. Sayoko frowned. Lelouch never fumbled for words, not unless something was horribly wrong.

"Are you alright?" Sayoko asked the question softly, not wanting to push for an answer.

She heard Lelouch let out a breath. "I'm fine, Sayoko. Thank you. I was just wondering..." He fell silent again as he went back to thinking. Sayoko sat back against her seat, she could be a little late picking Nunnally up.

"Has Nunnally," A pause. "Has Nunnally done anything odd lately?" Sayoko frowned at that. As far as she knew, Nunnally was fine.

"No she hasn't, sir. Is everything alright?"

Another long pause. Then a question caught Sayoko off guard, "Sayoko, I need your absolute honesty right now." It was spoken firmly, like when Lelouch addressed people on television. He'd never used that tone to her before. The situation must be serious.

"Of course, milord." Sayoko subtly shifted the address, trying to reassure Lelouch of her allegiance.

"Nunnally or me, who has a higher importance to you?" The question was constructed roughly, but she'd caught the gist of it. Still, it confused her. Why would he need to ask her?

"Do you mean to whom I am more loyal to?"

"Yes." His voice was grim.

After a moment of reflection, Sayoko says, "You, sir." It was true, Sayoko had been assigned to Lelouch and Nunnally by Milly, and even though she'd spent more time with Nunnally, she'd seen the love the boy had for his sister. He was a confident, cocky, spoiled, selfish boy. He was cruel, heartless, and willing to give anything up for his ideals. Except for Nunnally. He had a side to him he'd only show his sister. That boy she'd first met all those years ago-the pure, innocent boy that only ever loved his sister-captured her heart and melted it.

There was a quiet, "Thank you." The emperor sounded relieved, and almost a little sad.

Sayoko smiled, "There's no need to thank me, sir."

Lelouch laughed softly, and Sayoko found herself proud that she'd at least helped Lelouch laugh, even if it was just for a moment.

"What do you need?"

"I've received information that Nunnally has been in contact with the Black Knights."

* * *

"Nunnally, there's a video call from Lelouch," Milly called. Nunnally frowned. Lelouch never called Ashford Academy when he wanted to chat. Then a cold rush went through her. Sayoko had come twenty minutes late, and she'd never been late in her entire life before. And it was odd that her maid wouldn't look at her, just busied herself around the Academy instead of taking her home.

The only reason that Lelouch would be calling her here and now is because he'd _found out._ Nunnally muttered a curse under her breath.

* * *

"Suzaku," The call was soft, but commanding. Suzaku sighed as he tore himself away from the training area. So Lelouch had finally calmed down enough to start ordering him around, huh? But he didn't want to talk about Kallen's confession or anything of the sort.

"Yes?" He snapped, coming out of the room to face Lelouch. "I'm really sweaty right now so just let me-"

"We're contacting Nunnally. Don't say anything, just look intimidating," Lelouch instructed, nose wrinkling slightly at the sight of his disheveled knight.

"What kind of order is that?" Suzaku sassed, but quickly corrected himself when Lelouch gave him a glare. He mumbled an apology, then stepped past the other to the showers.

"Suzaku," Lelouch's voice stopped him. It sounded almost broken, pained, and Suzaku wanted to punch him. How dare Lelouch sound weak when he'd just ordered him to 'look intimidating'? But Suzaku understood. Even though his friendship with Lelouch would probably never be fixed, they still had Nunnally to connect them.

If what Kallen said was true, then even Nunnally had cut herself off. Right now, their childhoods were being completely burned to the ground. Suzaku felt a pang of sadness as he thought about Nunnally. She'd always supported Lelouch and him when they were going through the blood-stained ground in Japan after the war. She'd always been so sweet. But he supposed there was another side to her as well. Just like her brother.

"Don't let her stop you, Lelouch," He reminded the emperor. He reached out a hand-for what? comfort? to show understanding?-but quickly retracted it. This would be Lelouch's fight. He'll "just look intimidating." Suzaku almost snorted as he walked to the showers. Right. Like he'll just ignore Nunnally. Nevertheless, orders were orders and Suzaku let himself accept his inevitable rejection from the Princess. He swallowed the sour taste in his mouth. He'll be bunched together with Lelouch to Nunnally. How different was the truth from what she would think.

* * *

"Nunnally," Lelouch's greeting was formal, devoid of the usual happiness he'd have whenever he sees her. Now, it was just a statement of the fact, a simple name Lelouch seemed to have no connection to. Nunnally felt stung with how easily Lelouch was willing to just push her away. She frowned to the camera.

"Emperor Lelouch," She said coolly back. Two can play at their little game. Lelouch cocked an eyebrow at that, and Nunnally let herself relish in the victory. She'd never called Lelouch by his title, ever. In fact, Lelouch had told her not to. But here they were, breaking the familiarity they've shared with each other. She turned to the silent Suzaku standing at Lelouch's side, and noticed that he stood a little far from Lelouch, as if he didn't want to be too close. Odd. They were always a team on television, and especially during their childhood.

"Lord Suzaku," She greeted the boy, watching how Suzaku blinked in surprise. Did he think she wasn't going to acknowledge him? The knight dipped his head in response, but still didn't say anything. Nunnally huffed a little. So Suzaku was also going to cut himself off. Alright.

There was a moment where neither group spoke, just waited in tense silence. Then Nunnally decided to take the plunge and break the silence.

"Give Kallen back," Nunnally demanded, mustering all of her courage and tried to sound as dominating as she could. But to her ears, she still sounded like the weak little sister Lelouch and Suzaku had to protect. She grimaced when she saw Lelouch resist a smile.

"Did you think I would simply because you asked, Nunnally?" Lelouch's voice was soft, like when he'd tell her stories when they were little. Nunnally shook herself out of the reverie. No. Right now, the man in front of her wasn't her beloved brother; he was her enemy.

"I'm asking you to bring her back, Lelouch." Nunnally internally winced. That was such a weak reply. She quickly added, "I have control of the rebel forces and Japan. If I want to-"

"Nunnally, dear, you're only Viceroy of Area 11 because I made you Viceroy. Please don't forget." Nunnally bristled at Lelouch's gentle response, talking to her like she was a child. She didn't need his pampering.

"I am viceroy because I have the support of my people, Lelouch. I have their support while all you have is fake loyalty." Nunnally surprised herself with that answer. She didn't actually know if the people liked her or if they were just pretending. Nevertheless, she let her anger from her brother's actions fuel her as she kept going, "You rule on the foundations of fear and cruelty. Your people are afraid of your next move. You have none of their trust. I have all of it. I can turn the tide on your reign. I can and will bring you down."

Lelouch actually laughed out loud. "Really, Nunnally. I didn't think you could be like this."

Nunnally ignored him and glanced at Suzaku, who was standing there with a deep scowl on his face. "Even Suzaku. He's only supporting you because he's your knight, right? I know he hates you. Suzaku, you hate him right?" Nunnally didn't pause for an answer. "You've turned your closest ally into your enemy, Lelouch. A fragile empire like yours will never last."

Instead of staring at Lelouch, Nunnally turned her gaze to Suzaku, looking for a sense of agreement. Suzaku dropped his gaze and shifted his stance, obviously uncomfortable to the attention.

"Don't play games, Nunnally," Lelouch said calmly. Or at least he seemed calm. To Nunnally, she knew her brother was being pushed to the edge. And she intends to push him further.

"Do you really want to talk about games now, Lelouch?" Nunnally retorted, but then a thought came to her. "Do you remember a game we used to play, all three of us? We were freedom fighters, looking for a way to overthrow Britannia. Do you remember how Suzaku would always need to play the Britannian soldier no matter how much he hated the role, simply because I refused to be on opposite sides as you?" Nunnally cast her coldest glare on Lelouch. "We always fought for the same goal, but now?"

"Nunnally-" Lelouch started, but Nunnally was already reaching for the button to end the call.

"I'm sorry, brother. But I'm rewriting the game."

* * *

 _Notes:_

 _And everyone wonders at once: Who's going to win? Honestly I don't know. I guess the morally right thing would be for Nunnally, but I don't know how she'll manage._

 _So it is multi-chapter! I just couldn't stop thinking about it after I wrote the first chapter. I won't be updating for a long time, I need time to deal with the loss of a valuable member in my community._

 _Also, I always wanted Nunnally to have a bigger role in CG, so this is my way of letting her shine. She can see because there's no Geass to stop her. She was always a background type character in the real show, but I wanted to emphasis her importance to both Lelouch, how she affects his decisions, and how she is really assertive and powerful in her own right. I wanted to see what she would do if she understood the sway she had over her brother and planned her own agenda around it. Phew, am I proud of that last line! I actually wrote it first and based the chapter around it so Nunnally got to have the last word._

 _And as much as I love Lelouch, he really is an asshole during his reign so I guess this is him going full douche-bag mode? Also Suzaku is still being a little shit so I guess no change there._

 _To Buttercup: There's no pairings in this fic (so zero romance between characters); Suzaku basically hates Lelouch's guts, but I might soften their relationship to something of a friendship as the story progresses. For now, though, Suzaku just wants to kick Lelouch in the face and run._

 _To Mr. Q: I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT JEREMIAH IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OH NO! (The worst thing is that I was thinking about how to add him in when I was writing the first chapter and I totally forgot). I know his clip was pretty bad, but I promise that his POV will come later._

 _Reviews are always welcomed! (Thank you to everyone that reviewed in chapter one: Buttercup, Mr. Q, Guest, and Berrypie)._

 _Fun fact: Without the commentary this chapter is ~5,000 words, making it the longest chapter I've ever written. I've clocked 6+ hours on this chapter alone *Sighs from exhaustion*_

 _Thank you for reading._


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